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South Africa allows capture of wild elephants

Monday, April 24, 2006

Cape Town, South Africa

Six young wild elephant were forcibly removed from their herd last week and
condemned to lives of abuse as safari elephants – with the full approval of
South Africa’s conservation authorities, and overseen by this country’s primary
animal welfare organisation.

The elephants have been taken to the training facility of Elephants For
Africa Forever (EFAF), a centre which notoriously supplies “tamed and trained”
elephants to elephant-back safari tourism operations throughout South
Africa.

Permits allowing the capture were issued by Limpopo Province and, according
to the main shareholder of Selati Game Reserve from where the animals were
taken; the event was monitored by a senior representative of the National
Council of the Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA).

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org) said the issuing of permits for
the removal of the elephant and the presence of an NSPCA representative,
virtually rubberstamps the abuses inherent in capturing wild elephants and
subjecting them to lives in captivity.

“Taking elephants from the wild for elephant-back safari tourism, subjects
the animals to entirely unregulated training methods that are open to abuse. No
dedicated laws exist in South Africa that governs methods used in training
elephants,” said Jason Bell-Leask, IFAW Director Southern Africa.

“Granting permits that allow the removal of young elephant from their family
groups is contrary to the policy of our premier national park, the Kruger
National Park, which says it is not appropriate to separate family groups.

“The fact that Limpopo granted these permits, and that the NSPCA was actually
present when the animals were taken from their herd sends a message that
dignifies the exploitation and abuse of elephant for profit.”

The six elephant – estimated to be between six and nine years old – were
taken from their herd in the Selati Game Reserve, near Phalaborwa in the Limpopo
Province on Easter Monday, as a helicopter was used to frighten off the bigger
group. Gunshot was reportedly used to scare off a young bull elephant that
repeatedly tried to reach the captured youngsters.

In addition a further two young elephant from the herd were darted and
immobilised before being rejected as unsuitable candidates for the safari
industry.

“Over and above the forced removal of the six elephant, the completely
unnecessary darting of a further two is nothing more than animal abuse and
should be condemned outright. It demonstrates the entirely callous nature of the
elephant-back safari tourism industry as being one that has no conservation
value whatsoever – and one that doesn’t even pretend to the slightest veneer of
one,” said Bell-Leask.

“The elephant-back safari tourism industry typically claims that it is
‘saving’ young elephant from sure death in ‘culls’. IFAW disagrees - they are
taking young elephant from the wild to be subjected to confinement and training
that is wrong, cruel and exploitative and which pays no attention to the
physical, behavioural, psychological and social needs of these highly
intelligent creatures.”

After capture on 17th April the animals were transported to EFAF’s training
facility near Tzaneen where they are confined in separate stables in a converted
tobacco shed and without any access to natural light. Cattle prods were
apparently used to force them from the transport trucks and into the stables.

IFAW was referred to Rob Snaddon, managing director of H L Hall & Sons,
the main shareholders of Selati Game Reserve who confirmed that the capture of
the elephants had taken place under permit and that a senior representative of
the NSPCA had been present throughout.